(MIS)Treated

5.0 (51)
Medicine
Semiweekly

(MIS)Treated, a TVO podcast, explores how medicine has – and still is – failing women and speaks to the people looking to make a difference. Join host Nam Kiwanuka to hear real life stories and expert interviews on how the mistreatment and misdiagnosis of women affects us all.

1 hr ago

Why is so Little Known About Adenomyosis?

Adenomyosis has been described as a cousin or evil twin of endometriosis. While they are two distinct conditions, they have similarities and can also coexist at the same time. Which makes diagnosing it that much harder. And another barrier? Some women who have it, have no symptoms. There have been calls through petitions in Australia, the UK and Canada to recognize both endometriosis and adenomyosis as disabilities. To understand this condition more, we reached out to Dr. Mathew Leonardi, a gynaecological surgeon and sonologist at McMaster University Medical Centre in Hamilton, Canada. Research Links: Adenomyosis: The Common Gynecological Condition You've Never Heard Of: https://swhr.org/adenomyosis-the-common-gynecological-condition-youve-never-heard-of Gabrielle Union On the Condition That Caused Her Infertility | SuperSoul Sunday | OWN: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6XJMHhd-a3E The Evil Twins of Chronic Pelvic Pain Syndrome: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis on Interstitial Cystitis/Painful Bladder Syndrome and Endometriosis: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11641437 Global prevalence of adenomyosis and endometriosis: a systematic review and meta-analysis: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12629041 Women with adenomyosis are at higher risks of endometrial and thyroid cancers: A population-based historical cohort study: https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0194011 Cambridge woman's petition for better endometriosis treatment and research heads to House of Commons vote: https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/local-news/cambridge-womans-petition-for-better-endometriosis-treatment-and-research-heads-to-house-of-commons-vote-12478485 Dr. Leonardi Discusses Advancements In Imaging For Endometriosis And Diagnostic Care: https://endometriosisnetwork.com/endo-hub/imaging-for-endometriosis-an-interview-with-dr-mathew-leonardi-part-1 See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 5

How a Diagnosis of MS became an Act of Self-love

A 2021 study shows that women make up 75% of patients with Multiple Sclerosis and Canada "continues to have one of the highest rates of MS in the world". In October 2026, actor Christina Applegate shared that she had been misdiagnosed with MS after being diagnosed with it in 2021. Why is that? A study from 2024 shows that the frequency of an MS misdiagnosis ranges from 5% to 41%. Why is it so hard to get diagnosed with MS? We speak to Rebeckah Price a young Canadian woman with roots from Jamaica. After experiencing some vision loss for several months, and in the process of trying to get a diagnosis for MS, a doctor told Rebeckah that she looked "too strong" to have it. Rebeckah ended up traveling to the United States to get a definitive diagnosis. Research Links: What Can We Learn from Sex Differences in MS?: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8537319 Prevalence and incidence of MS in Canada and around the world: https://mscanada.ca/ms-research/latest-research/prevalence-and-incidence-of-ms-in-canada-and-around-the-world Christina Applegate's Health Journey, From Early MS Symptoms to Learning She was Misdiagnosed: https://www.today.com/health/disease/christina-applegate-ms-misdiagnosis-health-journey-timeline-rcna604789 Misdiagnosis and underdiagnosis of multiple sclerosis: A systematic review and meta-analysis: https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/full/10.1177/13524585241274527 Diseases That Mimic MS: https://msfocus.org/Magazine/Magazine-Items/Posted/Diseases-That-Mimic-MS Embodiment of structural racism and multiple sclerosis risk and outcomes in the USA: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-025-01096-5 Unequal risk: Why MS is a growing problem in Black communities: https://artsci.washu.edu/ampersand/unequal-risk-why-ms-growing-problem-black-communities-theresa-gildner Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 29

Clara Hughes: How menopause "cracked me open"

Clara Hughes is the only athlete to win multiple medals at both the Summer and Winter Olympic Games. But what the world didn't know was that as a child, she started smoking in grade 3 and by 12 years-old, she was drinking and partying. Why? In "Learning to Breathe: A Memoir" she writes about how pain had become a badge of honour, and how as a former elite athlete, she felt menopause as "an extra betrayal". She also shares some childhood secrets that were uncovered after she spent two years in intense and - what some could - consider as unconventional - therapy. We spoke to her in a conversation recorded in front of a live audience at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management. Please listen with care. Research Links: Inside Olympian Clara Hughes's unexpected health crisis - and how it led her down an LSD rabbit hole: https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/inside-olympian-clara-hughes-s-unexpected-health-crisis-and-how-it-led-her-down-an-lsd-rabbit-hole-edited/article_82c43a0b-3cbb-4a07-996b-c8ae16a955fc.html Three Americans among seven to win medals at Winter and Summer Olympics: https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/three-americans-among-seven-win-medals-winter-and-summer-olympics Clara Hughes is done being hot and bothered: https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/article-clara-hughes-learning-to-breathe-memoir-menopause Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 15

Living with EDS and the fight to be taken seriously | (MIS)Treated

When a story about one woman's search for care sparked a flood of messages, we began investigating Ontario's healthcare system and the possible obstacles facing people with Ehlers-Danlos syndrome (EDS), especially those with craniocervical instability (CCI). For patients living with EDS, getting a diagnosis can take years. And when complex spinal conditions enter the picture, some patients and their families say they have been forced to look to the United States for help because they believe there is no surgeon in Canada able to provide the care they need. In this special episode of (Mis)Treated, we meet patients whose lives have been upended, families fighting for answers, and doctors who disagree about how these conditions should be treated. Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 8

Cynthia Mulligan on living a grateful life with breast cancer | (MIS)Treated

According to the Canadian Cancer Society, 1 in 8 women in Canada will develop breast cancer during their lifetime and in 2010, Canadian Broadcaster Cynthia Mulligan announced her diagnosis. In 2020, days before Christmas, she found out that she had Stage 4 breast cancer. We speak to her about why she chose to go public with her diagnosis, how she navigated treatment as a forward facing person and we reminisce about our friend and former colleague, Mark Dailey. Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 1

Why do autoimmune diseases impact women more?

Autoimmune disease is complicated. For one, there is no exact number of how many autoimmune conditions there are. We know that at least 80 of them exist and that globally, autoimmune impacts 1 in 10 people. While men also get autoimmune disease, women make up approximately 80% of patients. According to a 2021 study, women make up 75% of patients with MS. an autoimmune disease. And global cases of autoimmune disease are rising. We speak to Dr. Gabor Maté who wrote more than 20 years ago about his observations on how autoimmune disease was impacting more women than men. We also speak to a neuroimmunologist on the connection of the Epstein-Barr virus and why women with some autoimmune diseases were once advised to not have children. Plus we talk to an epidemiologist who studies women's health on why autoimmune disease impacts women at such a staggering rate and we speak to a young woman with multiple sclerosis. Got a question or comment? Email us at: mistreatedpodcast@tvo.org If you, or someone you know, is struggling with mental health, visit any of the following resources for support: Canada.ca/mental-health Kids Help Phone Call 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free) or text CONNECT to 686868. Research Links: Incidence, prevalence, and co-occurrence of autoimmune disorders over time and by age, sex, and socioeconomic status: a population-based cohort study of 22 million individuals in the UK: https://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(23)00457-9/abstract What Can We Learn from Sex Differences in MS?: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC8537319/ Embodiment of structural racism and multiple sclerosis risk and outcomes in the USA: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41582-025-01096-5 How Is Céline Dion’s Health? What She’s Shared About Stiff Person Syndrome Battle: https://www.today.com/health/celine-dion-health-rcna98154 Celebrities and Medical Awareness—The Case of Celine Dion and Stiff-Person Syndrome: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9914970/ National study shows Indigenous patients with autoimmune liver disease face worse symptoms and outcomes: https://www.ualberta.ca/en/folio/2023/02/national-study-indigenous-patients-autoimmune-liver-disease.html Indigenous people more prone to rare autoimmune liver disease, often misdiagnosed: https://globalnews.ca/video/9353047/indigenous-people-more-prone-to-rare-autoimmune-liver-disease-often-misdiagnosed-research/ Meet Dr. Dalia Rotstein, the St. Michael’s neurologist dedicated to improving care for women during pregnancy: https://unityhealth.to/2026/03/meet-the-neurologist-dedicated-to-improving-care-for-women-during-pregnancy/ Researcher studying link between pregnancy complications and autoimmune diseases with prestigious fellowship: https://utsc.utoronto.ca/news-events/our-community/researcher-studying-link-between-pregnancy-complications-and-autoimmune-diseases An MS Diagnosis Led This Top Yogi to Evolve Her Practice: https://www.healthcentral.com/condition/multiple-sclerosis/an-ms-diagnosis-led-this-top-yoga-instructor-to-evolve-her-practice See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Season 2 Trailer

(MIS)Treated: Season 2 Trailer

(MIS)Treated is back for season 2. Join host Nam Kiwanuka as she continues explores how medicine has – and still is – failing women and speaks to the people looking to make a difference. This season we explore why women make up 80% of autoimmune patients, what it's like to access care for Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and we speak to award winning journalist Cynthia Mulligan about why she chose to reveal her breast cancer diagnosis and how its impacted her career. We also have conversations with Dr. Gabor Maté, Clara Hughes and speak to Dr. Mathew Leonardi about adenomyosis and the advances being made in endometriosis awareness. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 23

Why do women make up 70% of chronic pain cases?

Unlike a broken arm, you can't see chronic pain. This makes it complicated to treat or diagnose because it's subjective. This has led chronic pain to be called a "silent epidemic" and while 70% of chronic pain sufferers are women, historically the majority of pain studies have been done on men or male mice. Many people with conditions like endometriosis, PMOS, migraines, fibroids and painful periods, live with chronic pain. And the World Health Organization officially classified it as a disease in 2022. On the final episode of season 1, Nam Kiwanuka take a deeper dive on the history of pain research, what it is, the implicit bias towards women in medicine, and the research that's being done to combat that right here in Canada. Nam speaks with Dr. Tania Di Renna, the president of the Canadian Pain Society (CPS) and Medical Director of the Toronto Academic Pain Medicine Institute (TAPMI) and Jennifer Daly-Cyr who has lived with chronic pain for more than a decade and is also co-chair of the Person with Lived Experience committee at the CPS. Research links Being A Woman Doesn’t Have To Be A (Chronic) Pain https://www.forbes.com/sites/evaepker/2023/04/05/why-is-being-a-woman-a-chronic-pain/ Women and pain: Disparities in experience and treatment: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/women-and-pain-disparities-in-experience-and-treatment-2017100912562 Mi'kmaw nurse explains how Indigenous pain often misunderstood: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/nova-scotia/mi-kmaw-nurse-1.5130067 Myths about physical racial differences were used to justify slavery — and are still believed by doctors today: https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2019/08/14/magazine/racial-differences-doctors.html Racial bias in pain assessment and treatment recommendations, and false beliefs about biological differences between blacks and whites: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.1516047113 Sex differences in the transition to chronic pain: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12126234/ “Brave Men” and “Emotional Women”: A Theory-Guided Literature Review on Gender Bias in Health Care and Gendered Norms towards Patients with Chronic Pain: https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1155/2018/6358624 Yale psychologists find that adults take girls’ pain less seriously: https://news.yale.edu/2019/01/24/yale-psychologists-find-adults-take-girls-pain-less-seriously Pain medication finally recommended in U.S. for IUD use. What about Canada?: https://globalnews.ca/news/10687785/iud-insertion-pain-management-guidance/ The science that changed how we study pain: https://www.mcgill.ca/science/channels/news/science-changed-how-we-study-pain-372651 Action On Pain podcast takes a closer look at the implementation of An Action Plan for Pain in Canada: https://redcircle.com/shows/action-on-pain See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

See All (41)

Nam Kiwanuka

Host

5

out of 5

51 Ratings

Educational and Noteworthy

2025-12-24

Zwarhol88

As a male listener, I appreciate learning about the mistreatment of women in healthcare. With every episode, I’m learning how to be a better ally. Thank you for shedding light on these topics and educating the masses.
Empowering and Empathetic

2025-10-01

Magsimillion74

Enlightening, empowering, empathetic, and educational. Look forward to the next instalments!

(MIS)Treated, a TVO podcast, explores how medicine has – and still is – failing women and speaks to the people looking to make a difference. Join host Nam Kiwanuka to hear real life stories and expert interviews on how the mistreatment and misdiagnosis of women affects us all.